Coming Home
by Talesofwovensilver
Summary: Oneshot. His break with Annabeth leaves Percy distraught. Where does he go?


"I think we both want different things." It was whispered. Almost carried away in the wind. But he heard it.

Percy wanted to say it came as a surprise. That it broke his heart, because that hurt less than admitting they had been drifting apart. It hurt less than knowing it was true, and still not being able to do anything about it.

So he stayed silent. Waited for her to say what he knew she was going to say.

"This isn't working." Percy just stared straight ahead.

"I want to focus on rebuilding Olympus, I..." She trailed off.

But Percy knew the things she was leaving left unsaid. Because he knew her.

He knew that she was doing this because she couldn't deal with her mother's disappointment at her favourite daughter dating the son of Poseidon. No matter what he did, Athena still hated him.

Annabeth's pride had always been her downfall. She wanted her mother to be proud of her. That would, in turn, raise her pride as the favoured daughter of Athena, architect of Olympus.

Percy knew that Annabeth simply didn't have time for him anymore.

He knew she believed he was holding her back from her aspirations and ambitions.

Percy was once her anchor that kept her grounded. Kept her sane. He was still her anchor. But now, instead of keeping her safe, he was drowning her, pulling her down into the murky depths.

Annabeth had healed and she wanted to move on in her life.

But most of all, Percy knew Annabeth wanted to forget. Because out of everything, Percy was a reminder of her past and everything she had lost.

Annabeth, despite her ADHD and Dyslexia could sit still for hours, read highly detailed, advanced texts that most demigods couldn't even dream of understanding.

Percy was like the sea. His ADHD and battle reflexes were honed to the point it was practically impossible for him to focus on anything. He'd go to see Annabeth in her cabin and end up leaving ten minutes later because he had to keep moving. He was volatile like the sea, always changing and with his father as one of the Big Three Gods his mind found it even harder to read English than other demigods, Ancient Greek and Latin coming so much easier to him.

When once their differences tied them together, now they were pulling them apart. As much as Percy tried to stop it he couldn't. It was inevitable.

If he was truthful, he didn't want to stop it either. That was what scared him the most.

The person that had once meant everything to him had become like a stranger to him. The person that had been his own anchor when he bathed in the river Styx, the only person he could remember when Hera had wiped his mind, leaving his identity scattered around and lost. The person he had fallen into Tartarus for had become little more than – albeit detailed – facts on a piece of paper. He knew her. Every tiny little thing about her. Yet they barely even talked anymore.

"I understand." He did. It didn't mean he liked it. But he understood.

"You do?" Her voice wavered.

He nodded. He still wasn't looking at her and he could feel her gaze burning the side of his face. But he stared straight ahead. His gaze focused on the skyline, were the sky met the water and there was nothing else in-between.

She stared at him for a while longer, before she finally gave up and realised he wasn't going to look at her.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment before getting up and leaving.

"Goodbye Percy."

"Goodbye Annabeth." He hadn't been sure whether she heard it or not, but when she walked off he assumed she had.

He didn't know how long he sat there. It was probably the longest he had ever stayed still when he was conscious.

By the time it was dark Percy had managed to sort through everything he was feeling. He got up. His legs felt numb from where they had been hanging over the side of the pier all day.

He didn't go to the dining pavilion. He knew everybody would know about his and Annabeth's break up by now. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was coming and the Aphrodite cabin had been stealing glances at him all week long.

He went to his cabin. The walls suddenly seemed too small, the roof too low, and the beds too narrow.

He grabbed a bag and packed it with all his precious items. He packed as if he was going on a quest, and then packed everything of value.

He left any mundane things. Things that didn't hold any value to him were ignored.

Going out the back of his cabin he walked to the beach and carried on up until he was far enough away that no campers would stumble on him.

From there he called Blackjack.

The loyal Pegasus came swopping down within a minute.

He considered going to his mum's apartment. But it wasn't massive and he knew roughly where he wanted to go either way.

He would Iris message his mother later. She wouldn't worry. He had gone on enough quests by now, he was pretty sure she was just waiting for the next time someone would ring up and tell her Percy was gone. Not that it made him feel any better, but he was sure his mother could cope until he found the time to IM her.

"Take me somewhere I won't be hunted." It was a whispered command and Percy wasn't even sure it was possible.

Blackjack seemed to sense Percy's mood and didn't comment, instead he flapped his wings and together the two rose into the sky.

They travelled well into the night and early morning. When they finally did land it was on a small, uninhabited island. It was the only island in view, with undisturbed planes of blue sea in every direction.

Percy turned and spotted a small shelter just up the beach, where the forest stated.

It was open at the front and not cramped in the slightest. It was long, and though the roof wasn't massively high, it had more than enough room to fit Mrs O'Leary in.

Percy walked up to it and stepped inside. It must have been touched by the Gods or something similar. Because as open to the elements as it was, no leaves had blown in, it was dry and though it was cool, it was not cold.

Percy unfolded the camp bed he had brought and tucked it against the far wall. He placed his bag next to it and called Blackjack, telling him he was thankful, and that he could leave if he wished.

Of course he stayed, settling down just outside the cabin to rest.

Percy smiled fondly before grabbing a regular hunting knife and double checking for Riptide, even though he knew it would always appear in his pocket.

He did a quick scan and scout of the forest. He didn't find any monsters, only regular mortal animals.

To his surprise, there were plenty of prey animals to eat, fresh water sources and fruit trees growing in abundance. Everything he would need to live on. Like it had been crafted.

Percy, after returning to where he had first landed, frowned in thought.

Exactly what was this place? Why had Blackjack bought him here? Percy had asked for somewhere he wouldn't be hunted. Was it possible Blackjack knew of places there were no monsters? How was that possible?

 _'Yo Boss, there are no monsters here. You can relax.'_ Blackjack reached out to him in his thoughts.

"But how is that possible?" Percy met Blackjacks gaze.

The Pegasus snorted. _'The Gods exist, and you're asking me how something's possible. Boss, I'm a horse with wings.'_ Blackjack had picked up some of Percy's wit over the years they had known each other. It seemed sharing a mind connection also gave Blackjack some information about Percy's perceptions of 'possible' and 'impossible'. After all, to Pegasi, they and the Gods **were** normal.

Percy just narrowed his eyes at Blackjack. The Pegasus let out a humph. _'Lord Poseidon created it for one of his children hundreds of years ago. It was a safe haven. A place of reprieve. But the child of the sea wasn't meant to live alone. The young man wanted to invite other demigods to his haven. But Lord Poseidon couldn't produce a safe haven for all demigods. They would never leave. As you well know, demigods are vital to our society. They fight the wars the Gods cannot. They kill the monsters that hide in plain sight. They protect one another. It is in your blood to fight. Can you imagine the kind of thing that would happen with so many demigods on such a small island, expected to live together in harmony. It would be carnage. Nobody has been here for thousands of years. Lord Poseidon told me I could bring you here though. He trusts you.'_

Surprisingly Percy understood that. They were all sound reasonings. There were only two others Percy would wish to bring here with him. Though he doubted if either would want to come with him, so he was content to stay here, make it his secret safe haven for when he really needed it.

"Tell my father I won't betray his trust. It will be our secret."

Blackjack made a noise of assent before going off who knows where.

Right now, Percy just needed the familiarity of the water.

Walking through the gentle waves, he submerged himself fully under the water. It was only like this that his senses could be both incredibly heightened, yet his mind calm.

He could feel the water welcoming him, like he was coming home. For the first time in weeks Percy felt at peace.


End file.
